Gondola freight-car.



No. (A151523.

T. J. NEwBEnnv & .1. v. Emcsun.

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fApplicaton tiled Dec. 20, 1901.`|

(No Mudl.)

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Patented ma. laflsoz.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TIIOMAS J. NEVBERRY AND JOHN V. ERIOSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GONDOLA FREIGHT-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,623, dated March18, 1902.

` Application iiled December 20, 191. Serial No. 86,700. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Beit known that we, THOMAS J. NEWBEERY and JOHN V. ERICSON, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andStateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGondola Freight-Cars, which are fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part hereof, andin which- Figure l shows our said new car in frontelevation, of which the right-hand half shows an exterior View and theother half an interior View, with some parts in section and the variousoperating parts in both broken and entire outlines for the purpose ofshowing their manner of operation. Fig. 2 shows'our said device in planView with some of the doors removed, some open, and someclosed. Fig. 3shows our car inside elevation with a fragment thereof in sectionbetween one pair of frames A and the other parts provided with` compounddoors, shown closed at other sections. kFigli: shows a front 'elevationof a fragment of a transverse frame A of the carbody with a hingeddischarging-bottom or trap-door in closed position, also in openposition in broken outlines. Fig. 5 shows a front elevation of afragment of a transverse frame similar to that shown in Fig. 4, having alike hinged bottom, but locked by a different kind of mechanism. Fig.`6shows an en-` tire transverse frame in front elevation on a smallerscale, together with a vertical longitudinal section taken through itscenter. Fig. 7 shows a right-hand end bar of any' of said transverseframes provided with a locking mechanism for the discharging-doors g.Fig. 8 shows in sidev elevation mechanism` to operate'gthelever lockingand releasing mech-` 'formed a very strong such beamsand that of the Upattern, as

shown in Fig. 1, onand around'which we build the bottom of our gondola.Said bottom is preferably of' cylindrical section, as shown, because ofthe most desirable form both for strength and convenience ofconstruction, also to secure by our said form a lower center of gravityfor the load than is obtained in the usual form of construction havingeither l[iat or longitudinally-arched floors; and our invention alsoconsists in dividing the box or body of our car into sections or partsprovided with side doors, either single or compound, from which the loadmay be discharged in suitable quantities, and other advantageshereinafter to be set forth. To attain said desirable ends, we constructourimproved gondola substantially as follows, namely:

` In the drawings, in Fig. 1, are shown two U-beams b, having theirplain sides facing toward the center-line and extending from end to endof the icar-body. Between said beams b is thus provided a convenientplace for the draw-head and other draft-rigging. Over the tops of thebeams o is secured a cylindrical section c of sheet-steel to form thefixed bottom of the gondola boXf. The outer edgesof said section cextend below the tops of the wheels, as near as may be to their axles,and under said beams b is secured a bracing-plate d, which rises upwardfrom the foot of each beam to meet the cylindrical bottom and to whichits ends are attached. Said bracing is shown in end view in broken linesin Fig. 3, and in this case is shown over the saddle-bar a ofthe truck;but there may` be as'many such braces as may be deemed necessary, or, infact, said part d may be ex- 1 tended both ways to the full length ofthecylinder c,- andv thus form 'an additional strengthening to the bottomc. yThe outer edges p of the cylinder c are turned out at about rightangles to the flanges n or parallel to the ends of said iianges, asshown at 1J in Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7. By means of said cylindricalarch and beams thereto there is yet light gondola bot,- tom.

The frames A consist of two vertical stays e, T-shaped in cross-section,which are connected by a web o', having a top flange 'n' and an archedbottom flange o, iitting on the cylinder c and to which said flange issecured. A bottom 'n2 is laid either on or between the flanges fa', andsaid bottom has openings provided with trap-doors m, hinged at q, asshown in Figs. l, 2, 4, and 5, and said doors maybe held up at theirfree ends by a hook 7a2, Fig. 4, provided with a lever it', which isheld in its place by a pivoted stop 7c3. The preceding form of holdingmechanism for this trapdoor is used when the load is to be carried onthe level bottom n2. Said trap-doors may be lowered into the positionindicated in broken lines in Figs. l and 5 when the side doors g form apart of the structure. In the latter case when the doors g are openedthe doors m drop from the bracket g2 and the load is discharged, or thetrap-doors may either be omitted entirely and the load carried on thecylinder c when the side doors g are used. In Fig. 2 the trap doors mare shown taken out of the first sectional spaces, and the right andleft hand parts of the cyl inder c are shown. In the other" sectionalparts the doors on are shown closed. Said side doors g may also beformed into compound doors by the use of smaller or secondary doors hover openings through said primary doors, through which small portionsof the load of their sections, into which our carbody is divided by ourcross-frames A, may be let out, as when it may be desired to load only asmall Wagon, and larger loads may be let out by using both small doorstogether or in part only, and finallyall the doors g may be opened forthe discharge of the entire load on either one or both sides of the car.Said doors g are hinged at Z and theiroppositc edges are held byanysuitable means, as by hooks j on a hingej, secured on the under sideof the bottom c. To said hooks jare secured operatinglevers t,whose freeend is held and released by a reciprocable bolt T5, secured to thevertical rib of the stay, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. Said boltq'5 isconnected to a bell-crank lever r1, which in turn is connected to areciprocable bar r3, of which one end is connected to an arm r2 on theend of a shaft r at one end of the car-body, and to said shaft issecured an operating-lever r', by means of which and in one movementthereof all the doors g, either on one or both sides ofthe car, may beopened sim ultaneously,as may be desired. The small doors h on saiddoors g are here shown locked with a button fi. The stays e are bent atabout the floor-level n2 to project inward, as shown at e', and the boxsides of the boxf are held by said two parts e and e. The broken lines't in Fig. l are to indicate how the central part ot' the bottom n2 maybe raised for the more complete discharge of its load through the bottomof the car. The flanges u' are but a continuation of the llanges n ofthe stays c, forming a part of the web o of the frame A.

What we claim isl. The combination with longitudinally central beams,extending from truck to truck, of a cylindrical bottom attached directlyto said beams, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with longitudinally central beams, extending fromtruck to truck, of a cylindrical car-bottom, secured directly to saidbeams, having its side edges below the wheel-tops, substantially asspecified.

3. The combination with longitudinally central beams, extending fromtruck to truck, and a cylindrical car-body bottom, attached directly tosaid beams, having its edges below the wheel-tops, of a car-body havingdischarging-doors with free edges locked to said side edges,substantially as speciiied.

4C. The combination with longitudinally central beams, extending fromtruck to truck, and a cylindrical car-body bottom, attached directly tosaid beams, having its side edges below the Wheel-tops, of a car-bodyhaving discharging-doors whereof their free edges are locked to saidside edges, and means to lock said doors to said edges, substantially asspecified.

5. The combination with a cylindrical carbottom having its side edgesbelow the wheeltops, of a car-body with compound discharging-doorsimmediately above said edges, substantially as specified.

6. The combination with a cylindrical carbody bottom, of a fiat bottomwith closable openings through it above said cylindrical bottom,substantially as specified.

7. The combination with a car-body having a cylindrical bottom, of aiiat bottom above said cylindrical bottom having closable passages, sidedoors to hold said closures and means to operate said doors,substantially as specified.

8. The combination with a car-body having a cylindrical bottom andtransverse frames dividing said car-body into sections, ofdischarging-doors immediately above the edges of said bottom,substantially as specified.

THOMAS J. NEWBERRY. Jol-1N v. ERIosoN.

Witnesses: y

WM. ZIMMERMAN, C. A. Lo'rHGREN.

IOD

